Hey guys! So I'm writing a book which is pretty entrenched in police work, even though it's YA, because her dad is a police officer. I'm in the UK so getting help from specific police in my area wouldn't really help and a lot of my questions are too specific and more "is this plausible" than "what would happen if..." so Google's not really helping me, either.
Girl gets stabbed. Dude who stabbed her ends up impulsively saving her life by calling an ambulance. He gets the fuck out of there and, in the chaos of the emergency room, manages to get away without giving his name or leaving a clear picture on their cameras. One problem: she can't turn him in because he knows something really bad about her, so they're now stuck trying to protect each other.
Girl's dad is a cop. I think I'm right in assuming that he would have to stay out of investigation completely? Could her dad's usual partner lead the investigation or is that also too much of a conflict of interest? Would they take her cell phone away from her? How long would this take - could she plausibly hide it?
She's seventeen, but she basically stonewalls them because she can't have them finding the guy. What would happen if she told them she doesn't want to press charges (I've never understood how this dropping/not pressing charges thing works - how serious does the crime have to be before you have no choice)?
How long does it take before GHB no longer shows up in blood tests?
She pretends to have pretty much forgotten her attack out of trauma and being drugged, but the police suspect she's lying to them or pretending not to remember everything. What would this mean for the investigation, if they hit a wall? They can't conclusively prove that she's "obstructing justice" or lying to them, it just seems very convenient. Is it likely they'd dial the investigation back or the exact opposite? Also, how much trouble (and what trouble) would her dad be in if the police found out that he was getting involved in the investigation?
PHEW. Sorry for all the questions. Reps all around for any help, as always.
Girl gets stabbed. Dude who stabbed her ends up impulsively saving her life by calling an ambulance. He gets the fuck out of there and, in the chaos of the emergency room, manages to get away without giving his name or leaving a clear picture on their cameras. One problem: she can't turn him in because he knows something really bad about her, so they're now stuck trying to protect each other.
Girl's dad is a cop. I think I'm right in assuming that he would have to stay out of investigation completely? Could her dad's usual partner lead the investigation or is that also too much of a conflict of interest? Would they take her cell phone away from her? How long would this take - could she plausibly hide it?
She's seventeen, but she basically stonewalls them because she can't have them finding the guy. What would happen if she told them she doesn't want to press charges (I've never understood how this dropping/not pressing charges thing works - how serious does the crime have to be before you have no choice)?
How long does it take before GHB no longer shows up in blood tests?
She pretends to have pretty much forgotten her attack out of trauma and being drugged, but the police suspect she's lying to them or pretending not to remember everything. What would this mean for the investigation, if they hit a wall? They can't conclusively prove that she's "obstructing justice" or lying to them, it just seems very convenient. Is it likely they'd dial the investigation back or the exact opposite? Also, how much trouble (and what trouble) would her dad be in if the police found out that he was getting involved in the investigation?
PHEW. Sorry for all the questions. Reps all around for any help, as always.